Improvement in fuses for explosive shells



3'. MOINTYRE.

Shell-Fuse.

No. 44,58L. Patented Oct. 4, 1864 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAMES MOINTYRE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'lO HIMSELF AND JAMES D. BACON,

OF SAME PLACE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 44,581, dated October 4, 1864.

To aZZ whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, JAMES MOINTYRE, of the city and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Fuses for Proj ectiles; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the said invention, reference being had to the anneXed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein Figure 1 is .a section ofthe fuse partially prepared. Fig. 2 is asection of the complete fuse. Figs. 3 and 4. are sections of the fuses with slight variations in their mode of Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

In Letters Patent granted to me October 20, 1863, a fuse is shown with a ball or block closing a tube communicating through the fuse-powder to the interior of the projectile.

The nature of my present invention consists in a conical plug inserted into a conical hole in the fuse-powder, the larger end of said plug being toward the outer end of the fuse. By this device the opening through the fuse to the interior of the projectile is effectually closed, and the concussion in starting and the pressure of the gases cannot drive said plug into the projectile; but when the speed of the projectile is checked by striking an object the inertia causes the plug to pass forward out of the conical hole and open a communication for the fire of the fuse to ignite the contents of the projectile. With fuses intended for projectiles that may not strike endwise I apply to said conical plug a ball, asin my aforesaid patent, and make such plug hollow, so that an opening will be made into the projectile for the fire by said ball shaking off the end of the said pipe, the tapering form given to said pipe preventing premature explosion from the pipe driving back into the projectile in the act of firing.

In the drawings, a is the shell or case of the fuse, of any usual or desired character.

Ihose made in the usual manner, in a tapering form, of paper are preferred.

b is the fuse or meal powder, packed into the case in the usual manner. This mealpowder may be compressed around a tapering core, so as to leave aconical hole, but I prefer to bore out a conical hole through the said fuse, as seen in Fig. 1, and into thisI introduce a metal plug, a, that is tapering to fit the hole. When the projectile with this fuse is fired, the powder is ignited, burning into the shell, because it is tapering. However, as soon as the projectile strikes any ob ject the inertia of the tapering plug 0 throws it forward out of the fuse, and the fire communicates instantly to the contents of the shell to explode the same.

Fig. 2 shows the same fuse, but the line surrounding the metallic plug 0 represents a thin coating of plaster-of-paris or similar material that may be introduced into the hole around the plug; and the tapering hole at the larger end of this plug is shown as filled in with fuse -powder.

Figs. 3 and 4 represent a tapering plug introduced in a tapering hole, as before, but with said plug formed hollow and a ball, (1, upon the end, the same as in my aforesaid patent.

In Fig. 4 the said hollow plug is reprethe burning fuse.

In all these fuses the office of the conical plug is the sameviz., to prevent theinertia of the plug, when the projectile is fired, from causing the plug to drive back into the projectile, thereby avoiding a difficulty that has heretofore been experienced of premature explosions in consequence of the concussion in firinginjuring the fuse or any parts applied thereto; but when the projectile strikes an object the tapering plug is drawn forward by the inertia out of its conical hole, leaving an opening for the fire of the fuse to communicate instantly to the contents of the shell.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let- 'ters Patent, is-

A tapering plug introduced into a tapering hole in the powder of the fuse, with the larger end of the said plug toward the outer end of the fuse, for the purposes and as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 20th day of July A. D. 1864.

Witnesses: JAMES MOINTYRE.

CHAS. H. SMITH, LEMUEL W. SERREL 

